Im looking for a good loupe to grade coins, but i dont want to see to much and think my coin is more flawed then it is.
I use a Bausch & Lomb Hastings Triplet. I have a 7x and a 10x. I don't use anything stronger, because you start noticing tiny little flaws that aren't significant. If I need to look at a particular feature especially closely, I have a small handheld lighted magnifier that is about 25x or so. If I'm really curious, I go down to my friends coin shop and use his microscope. Good luck.
Both NGC and PCGS professional graders used 5x magnification for grading. I used a Bausch & Lomb Folding Pocket Magnifier 5X +7X which get me up to 12X magnification if needed. You can usually pick it up for $20.00 or less
I like my Eisenbach but it's expensive . I don't loose or misplace mine though so it's been good to me.
There are scores of threads on this of which these are just some, at your disposal: What kind of optics do you use to look at coins?? Loupes and vison related tools Eyeclops TV Microscope Loupe With Built-In Light Desktop Magnifiers New member needs advice on Loupes. Handheld USB microscope opinions.
I like 8x. Large enough to see what I need but still able to view the entire obverse or reverse at once.
5x is the recommended power for grading. But you want as big a filed of view as you can get so that you can see as much of the coin as possible at the same time, and that is the downfall of all loupes - except 1. The Bausch & Lomb 5x Packette. It has the largest field of view of all loupes - more than twice as big - as any other loupe.
I think this is the one I've seen and liked it. http://www.opticsplanet.net/galco-magnifying-glass-with-case-chestnut-sl815cn.html
